


Gentleman Robyn and the Tower Girl

by bookwormchocaholic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: 19th Century, Abuse, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F, F/M, Same-Sex Marriage, alice's mother is emotionally abusive and controlling, gentleman jack au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 14:03:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19297243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwormchocaholic/pseuds/bookwormchocaholic
Summary: After spending her life in a tower, Alice is set free and learns to navigate a world she knows nothing about. Robyn Mills is called back to her ancestral home and must find the finances to save it. She pursues the enigmatic, but troubled Alice. Together they discover a love they could never imagine. The Curious Archer/Gentleman Jack AU my sister and I have been discussing for awhile now.





	Gentleman Robyn and the Tower Girl

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onceuponanovel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceuponanovel/gifts).



> Beta-ed, but like everything else I write, this will probably chock full of spelling errors, historical inaccuracies, and eventually plot holes. 
> 
> This series is both inspired by Curious Archer and Gentleman Jack, however, I haven't been able to watch Gentleman Jack yet. I have been able to read summaries and it will follow the story to an extent. But really, it will be its own thing, told in a series of drabbles, it will form a full series. Hope you all enjoy!

Alice lifted the teapot and poured her friend a plentiful cup of tea. Then she saw to herself and settled the teapot back on the table. Raising the sugar bowl, she held it out to him. “One lump or two, Mr. Rabbit? And do you like cream?”

The stuffed rabbit didn’t make a response and his button eyes stared unblinkingly into space. She sewed him together with unskilled fingers and stuffed him with feathers from one of her pillows. That was ages ago, but he was still her dearest friend. _My only friend._ But she shook her unruly blonde head, shaking off those melancholy thoughts as well.

Her mother didn’t count. Mother did her best for her and kept her safe, up in this high tower, away from the rest of the world. _It is for the best, my dear._ Mother insisted time and time again and Alice had no reason to doubt her. The world was a dark and scary place and no one could harm her as long as she remained in the tower. She loved her mother dearly and her mother was the only other person she ever saw, but they weren’t exactly friends. They didn’t play games, or tell secrets, or have tea parties, or go on magical adventures using their own imaginations. They never said, _I love you._

Thus, the need for Mr. Rabbit. Through thick and thin, he was her constant companion and he never abandoned her.

This high tower – connected to a manor she got the change to explore - was her locked room, threadbare with only a bed and a menagerie of objects she collected in her twenty-one years. Cast off clothing, broken dolls, a dilapidated tea table, the rabbit she sewed together using scraps of old, worn out dresses…She had a window and on seasonable days, mother allowed her to leave the shutters open. Unfortunately, today was chilly and the shutter had to remain shut.

Alice pretended that Mr. Rabbit gave his preferences and dropped two lumps of sugar into his tea and added a dash of cream. “I am glad you’re here today, Mr. Rabbit.” Her two front teeth sunk down into her lower lip. “Today is my birthday. I am one and twenty years old now.”

To her disappointment, his cloth body slumped in his chair and slid off onto the floor.

She shook her head and dragged him back up by one of his floppy ears, positioning him back on his seat. Sighing, she drew the small cake her mother brought her closer and stuck a candle in the center of it. Striking a match, she lit it.

Closing her eyes, Alice whispered solemnly as she would a prayer, “I wish I could be free.”

Cracking one of her eyes open, she sighed. She had not been magically transported from her tower.

“Guess we’ll have to be here a little longer, Mr. Rabbit.” She cast him a smile.

Suddenly, she heard heavy, booted footsteps on the stairs leading up to her bedroom.

Her heart raced as a dark-haired man in a cobalt blue uniform barged into the room, causing to the door to slam into the wall. Alice stood and went to Mr. Rabbit’s side, as if her stuffed friend could protect her from this intruder.

“Please, don’t be afraid.” A unique and foreign tinged his soft words. Despite his disruptive entrance, his eyes were shiny and his jaw quivered. “I am Captain Killian Jones…I’m your papa.”

Alice furrowed her brow. She never given much thought to her father before. Mother refused to speak of him and she assumed that meant he was dead. But if this man were truly her papa, where had he been all these years?

“Stop!”

Mother appeared in the door way and stalked over. “Don’t listen to him, Alice. You’re my daughter, not his.”

Her mother was a striking woman, with long blonde curls and mesmerizing eyes that could entrance anyone into obedience. Strong, bold, independent… Mother took care of everything and didn’t need anyone else. At least, no one else accompanied Mother on her daily visits to the tower. Alice didn’t really know how her mother spent her time and provided a living for them. Mother always insisted that wasn’t her business.

“After all, where has he been all of these years? Hmm?” Mother cast a sharp sideways glance at the man, and raised her chin triumphantly. “I have always taken care of you, haven’t I? Saw to all of your needs.”

Alice nodded. That much was true, her needs were met. But there were things she wanted in life that Mother never provided. _Like freedom._ Whenever she broached the subject of freedom or going out into the world, Mother always made excuses and convinced Alice it was best for her to remain in the tower. But before this man, she assumed the rest of the world sounded like her or her mother. And other than mother, she never touched another living soul.

“I didn’t know you existed until now, otherwise I would have come for you right away.” Captain Jones insisted, slowly advancing towards her. “Please, love, it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to continue living like this. You can live how ever you want and I can help you with that.”

Alice watched him through hopeful eyes. She liked what he said and she wanted to believe him. But it would take a great leap of faith to leave behind this world and venture out into the great unknown. It was one thing to wish and imagine herself on adventures, and quite another to actually do it.

“Can I be free?” Alice asked, her lively gaze bouncing back and forth between Mother and the captain.

“Aye,” A relieved smile broke out on the captain’s dark face. “Absolutely, love. You can be whatever you want to be.” Gulping, he held out his open hand to her.

“Don’t you dare!” Mother hissed, resembling a serpent ready to strike.

For the first time, she saw her Mother clearly. Mother was the one who kept her in the tower, refusing to allow her freedom, and adventures, and friends. If other people could live out in the world and thrive, she should be able to as well.

Alice snatched up Mr. Rabbit, unwilling to abandon him after their years of friendship, and tucked him under her arm. Slipping her hand into her father’s rough one, she declared, “I’m ready, Papa.”

Papa sniffed and carefully guided her out of the tower and down the stairs.

An echo trailed after them, of her mother screeching, “This is a mistake! You don’t know what she’s capable of, Killian!”

Papa cupped her shoulder and shook his head. “Ignore her. You are going to be fine; you are going to be happy.”

Alice nodded and on departing from the manor, though there was a bite to the air, the sun on her face made her feel illuminated. Strength and power swelled in her breast and she couldn’t wait to embrace life fully.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions or prompts, drop me a line at http://bookwormchocaholic.tumblr.com/ask . I have a general idea of how this story will go, but I'll need some "filler" to flesh out the story.


End file.
